...And Justice for All (song)

"...And Justice for All"
Song

"...And Justice for All" is the second track on Metallica's 1988 album ...And Justice for All.

The lyrics depict a bleak and corrupt legal system in which "Lady Justice" is "raped", the "halls of justice" are "painted green", and "seeking no truth, winning is all."

It is Metallica's fourth longest song, clocking in at 9:46 minutes. Only the 8th track on the album, "To Live Is to Die" at 9:49 , the song "The Outlaw Torn" (Load) at 9:49 (10:41 on Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version), and "Mercyful Fate" (a cover medley of songs by the band Mercyful Fate) at 11:12 are longer.

Easily also one of the group's most complex songs, "...And Justice for All" runs the gamut from clean, melodic guitars to distorted thrash rhythms, and boasts many tempo and mood changes. Ironically, it is the slow, mid-section of the track that actually features predominant bass guitar, a stark contradiction to the rest of the album.

While touring

Due to its complexity, the song was (at least until Sick of the Studio '07) only performed live by the band during their 1988 Damaged Justice world tour in support of the album. As lead guitarist Kirk Hammett would later say in SoWhat! magazine, "'Justice' was a bit much for me. I couldn't stand watching the front row start to yawn by the eight or ninth minute." Also, when played live the intro of the song is played as a recording.

During the Madly in Anger with the World and Escape from the Studio '06 tours, Metallica would often tease the fans by playing parts of the song, with James usually saying nobody wants to hear the song. It remained to be seen whether Metallica would ever play the song in its entirety, or play it on a medley, which was the case during the Wherever We May Roam/Nowhere Else To Roam Tours in 1991-1993. Then on June 28, 2007, Metallica played "...And Justice For All" for the first time since October 1989, nearly 18 years ago, in Lisbon, Portugal on the first show of the Sick of the Studio '07 Tour. It was also played on their headlining set at the new Wembley Stadium on July 8, on July 10 at Valle Hovin in Norway, at Stockholms Stadion on July 12, at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on July 15 and at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia on July 18.

Music video game

The song is a playable track in the music video game Rock Band available as a downloadable track on its own, or in a 3-song Metallica pack with "Blackened" and "Ride the Lightning".